The Honor of Bismarck!
by JapaneseRedWolf
Summary: When a new girl transfers to your school it doesn't seem like a big deal, right? Wrong! Disclaimer: I only own my character. NEW UPDATED CHAPTER 2! AGAIN!
1. Prologue

Prologue: Departure

Rain, it poured down as the ferry pulled alongside the school ship that would become a lonely passenger's new home. The girl sighed, pushing her bangs behind her ear, staring longingly at the direction she had come from as she gathered her few bags. With her umbrella in her free hand she climbed the slick gangplank to board the new vessel. She passed by a small group of girls hurrying toward a building, giving one a glance as she felt a ping of familiarity. However, it seemed she wasn't the only one to notice, as the familiar girl's friends objected when she dashed over to the new comer.

"Bismarck-senpai?!"

The new comer turned, looking at her for real this time. "Hm? Oh, it _is_ you Nishizumi. How many times have I asked you to call me Fraulein, not 'senpai'. You know I don't like your Japanese honorifics."

"Oh, right, sorry I forgot… But wait, shouldn't you be on the Graf?"

"Nein, I just transferred here today. My panther should be delivered here within the week…"

"Transferred?"

"Ja, there were… I just couldn't stay there any more."

Miho bit her lip, looking confused as her friends finally decided to come over. "If… if you don't mind my asking-"

"Let me stop you right there. Ja, I _do_ mind. It is incredibly personal to me."

"Right… Sorry to have bothered you."

"Of course. Now, where do I report to?"

"The office is just ahead to your left."

"Danke, Nishizumi."

The girls watched her walk away, whispering amongst themselves for a moment before Yukari piped up. "Hey Miho-chan, who was that?"

"Erma Bismarck, fourth year student. She's from Kuromorimine."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Something very bad must have happened if she was even able to transfer. Mother usually doesn't let anyone go easily."

Little did they know that it had been a very tragic event at her own hands that had sent the girl into a downward spiral. She had been able without a single complaint from Miho's mother. As far as she was concerned, Erma Bismarck was just another bright young girl running away from her past.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Girl Who Cried PANZER!

Hana and Saori giggled and chatted happily with Yukari as they followed Miho to the tankery yard, Mako following to the best of her abilities. The girls rambled on aimlessly until Miho stopped suddenly, nearly causing a pile-up of unfocused girls. They looked around her, gasping when they saw the girl from the previous night- Erma, wasn't it?- standing with Anzu. A shiny Panther stood proudly beside the two, the Kuromorimine emblem still standing out against the desert colors of the armor. Momo pushed up her glasses as Miho's group joined them. Erma gave the commander a nod, dipping her head for a brief moment.

"Nishizumi."

"Fraulein Bismarck. So you're joining our tankery class?"

"Well I did tell you my Panther was being delivered here didn't I? Why else would I need it? Besides, it would be best for me to have _something_ to occupy my free-time."

"Of course. So this is your Panther?"

"Ja," she looked proud. "My pride and joy. I've put so much time into her, making modifications and upgrades, no one else can use her half as well as I can."

Erwin looked curious. "It looks like it would be fit for desert warfare."

"Ja, that's where I was most successful."

Miho nodded in agreement. "Sister and I would always call her up when we had a match in a desert environment. Sometimes she would even lead the charge for us."

Erma shrugged. "It just came so naturally to me. I must've watched too many documentaries on Rommel and the Afrika Korps…"

Yukari and Erma exchanged a grin. "I like her." "Me too."

Saori smiled, looking over to Miho as she walked toward the Panther. "I say we let her loose on the field to see how well she does."

Anzu grinned. "Well then! How about we let you go ahead and choose some others to hop in the tank with you!"

"No need." the girl climbed up onto her beloved Panther, opening the hatch at the top and stepping in. "Remember those modifications I mentioned? Well they allow me to use the tank on my own with only one down side."

"Eh? Uh, and what would that be?"

She grimaced. "I leave myself completely open to enemy attacks in five to ten second intervals. Now, while some opponents might not notice the time gap, some pick up on it incredibly easily. And I'm _sure_ you know how weak the side and rear plates are. I did what I could to strengthen them without compromising the Panther, but it still isn't enough against some tanks. The Maus, for instance, could take me out without a problem, while some smaller tanks might need two shots."

"Well, I still think you should at least have one more person in there."

"Fine…" she looked over the girls before her gaze landed on Yukari. "You, come."

"Right away!" the younger girl scrambled up to the hatch, climbing in after Erma slipped in. She soon took a place near a set up modernized radios, her eyes darting over the additions to the tank. "Wow you weren't kidding about modifying it."

Erma nodded, taking her place in front of a steering column before hooking a radio collar around her neck. "I don't lie."

"So what all _did_ you do to it?"

"How about I go over that later? For now, we need to get going."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Test of Skill

Yukari bounced excitedly as she heard the engine roar to life, feeling the frame vibrate before the tank started to move. She shifted to watch Erma operate, amazed at how easily she seemed to control the giant, though one thought kept her from getting too excited about it. As she glanced around the tank once more, she saw Erma arch an eyebrow.

"Uhm… are these modifications really legal? For tankery, I mean."

"Ja, because of how I did it. They are all based on 1945 modifications so they are completely legal. All I did was use multiple ones together."

"Wow, but how would you know-"

"I did my research."

The girls fell silent as the Panther was easily maneuvered through the gate into the training field, and that's when things picked up. After giving a map of the area a quick glance, Erma accelerated quickly and began navigating the terrain with a hurried caution. She proved to be a fast learner, but now something else had Yukari a little worried.

"The Panther is a heavy tank. Are you sure it's safe to operate like this in this area?"

"Ja."

"How are you so sure?"

Erma paused, seeming to think about what she said before she spoke. "Remember that research I mentioned? Well, I had access to old blue-prints and books back home. I used those as a basis to work with my tank."

"The other girls didn't want you updating theirs too?"

"They had no idea what I was doing since they couldn't read German."

"And you can?"

"Ja, German is my first language. " she smiled sadly, slowing the tank to an easy stop, a couple of meters from the practice targets. "You see, I'm not originally from Japan."

"You're from Germany?" Yukari guessed.

"Ja, that's why when my family moved to Japan, I chose to go to Kuromorimine. It was the most like what I had been used to back home."`

"Yukari saw her load the main gun, aiming it at the same time. "Why did you move to Japan?"

"Vat- err- my father got transferred, so bruder and I had to come with him."

"You have a brother?"

"I…" Erma fell silent, opting to fire instead. The force of it distracted Yukari, at least until Miho's voice came on over the radio.

{Excellent shot Fraulein! It was dead on!}

She nodded to herself before re-loading and re-aiming. She fired again, and repeated the process until every target had been hit. That's when Miho's voice came on again, this time distracting them both.

{Fraulein, you are no longer the only one out. Mallard, Rabbit, and Turtle are in play.}

Erma glanced back at an excited looking Yukari before she responded. "Commander, if you're going to "name" my tank, I requested Panther and not some cute girly thing."

{Alright. All teams, Panzer vor!}

Yukari yelped when the tank leapt into motion once more, tearing out and speeding toward the center of the field. Erma had a smirk on her lips when another sound reached them: a shell impacted just Panther swerved, brakes screeching, and barely a moment later Erma had the gun load, aiming it carefully.

Then, she grinned wickedly.

"Auf Wiedersehen!"

The Panther shook as the shell was launched, an impact sounding loud and clear a second later.

{Mallard team is out!}

Erma sent a smirk Yukari's way. "I think a Blitzkrieg might be appropriate if we can find the other two together. How do these… Rabbit and Turtle behave?"

"Uh… well Rabbit is usually a little skittish. If they spot you before you spot them, they'll run off and get behind you."

"And Turtle?"

"The gunner is student president Anzu, and she's one heck of a shot. If you don't get them first, they'll get you from nowhere."

"Alright, where do you think they might be?"

"Rabbit might be near the central clearing, but Turtle… yeah, I have no idea."

"Central is… where?"

"The open field with the bridge at one end."

"OK!" Erma nodded, tearing off once more. They reached the bridge not long after, and came to a stop just inside the treeline.

Now, she all she would have to do is wait.

The girl opened the hatch to climb out of the turret, grabbing a pair of binoculars from beside a couple of old maps before she peeked out. And then, it happened. A loud boom sounded near-by, making her gasp when-

{Erma get down!}


End file.
